SEZ boosts development in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — Ashraf Orakzai, director of utilities at Rashakai Special Economic Zone in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, starts his work early in the morning no matter how tough the weather is since he considers his job crucial for the country's future.

Orakzai, who has been working at Rashakai SEZ and the industrial park, part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, framework since mid-2022, is highly motivated toward the development of the project as it's going to generate a lot of employment opportunities along with high-scale investment and economic activity not just in his own province but the entire country.

Launched in 2013, CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan Province with Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which highlights energy, transport and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while the new phase expands to agriculture and livelihood, among others.

"As a Pakistani, we all want our country to develop and progress, and such projects, I believe, would play a defining role in economic development and specifically in poverty alleviation," he said.

The SEZ comprises more than a dozen buildings, 7 kilometers of roads and a variety of complete network facilities, including water, drainage, power supply and communication.

Invested and implemented by China Road and Bridge Corporation, or CRBC, the project is divided into three phases, covering a total area of around 400 hectares.

The first phase was implemented from June 2021 to March 2023, in which over 60 percent of the land has been leased out, mostly to Pakistani and Chinese enterprises.

Various industries

There are 10 different types of industries under construction in the zone, including steel, pharmaceutical, surgical and mobile accessories factories, Orakzai said.

Rashakai SEZ is positioned to promote the next step of industrial cooperation between Pakistan and China under the CPEC, said Wu Yuxing, project manager of CRBC at Rashakai.

All infrastructure facilities are designed according to Chinese standards, including the establishment of a complete operations support team, he said.

"At the same time, the overall scale of the park and subsequent operation and maintenance, and services for the entire industrial chain of enterprises are also of top quality," he added.

Orakzai said one of the things specifically focused on at the Rashakai SEZ was the ease of doing business, adding, "we have a one-window operation facility with all the relevant departments as well as a facilitation center".

Javed Iqbal Khattak, chief executive officer of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company, a partner of Rashakai SEZ's management, said four new industries, including medicine, sulfuric acid, electric cables and pharmaceuticals, are expected to start operations this year.

He said the SEZ focuses on promoting export-oriented and import-substitution industries, which would boost Pakistan's overall economy.

"As per the agreement, 80 percent of the employment will be given to the locals, which will be a big boost to the development of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," he said.

Xinhua